前人

qiánrén
  1. predecessor
  2. forebears
  3. the person facing you

CEDICT

  1. predecessor
  2. someone referred to above
  3. someone whom one is facing; someone who is in front
  4. the ancients; people from ancient times; forefathers

Wiktionary

  1. 以前的人。
  2. 上文所标举的作者，诗文选本中常用。

重編國語辭典

  1. 上文标明的作者
  2. 从前的人

維基詞典

Examples

前人铺路，后人行路。

One generation builds the street that the next will travel on.

Source: Tatoeba

Entry Composition

1 前 qián
  1. front
  2. forward
  3. ahead
  4. first
  5. top (followed by a number)
  6. future
  7. ago
  8. before
  9. BC (e.g. 前293年)
  10. former
  11. formerly
2 人 rén person; people

classifiers: 個, 位

Containing this entry

前人栽树，后人乘凉 qiánrénzāishù,hòurénchéngliáng to enjoy the benefits of the hard work of one's predecessors. (idiom)

Related entries

前任 qiánrèn
  1. predecessor
  2. ex-
  3. former
  4. ex (spouse etc)
前身 qiánshēn
  1. forerunner
  2. predecessor
  3. precursor
  4. previous incarnation (Buddhism)
  5. jacket front
上任 shàngrèn
  1. to take office
  2. previous (incumbent)
  3. predecessor
世界上任何山峰都达不到珠穆朗瑪峰的高度。

No other mountain in the world is as tall as Mt. Everest.

Source: Tatoeba

先民 xiānmín forebears
以動物命名人的屬相，是因為我們的先民與這些動物有密切關係。

Our ancestors used animals to name the years of people's births as their lives were closely connected to these animals.

Source: Tatoeba